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Sportsmanship and Ethics in Middle and High School Sports by Susan Mullane, Ph.D. Key Concepts • Sportsmanship • Gamesmanship • Fair Play • Balanced Competition • Character • Spirit of the Rules • Right-Right Dilemmas (ethical dilemmas) Vocabulary • Sportsmanship - (1) adherence to the principles and values in sport, including integrity, fair play, respect, and the value of competition, with the focus on winning the right way and what ought to be done; (2) conduct becoming to a person participating in sport, such as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning and losing. • Gamesmanship - (1) a focus on winning at all costs with little or no regard to certain values considered basic to sports competition such as fairness, respect, and fair play; (2) the art or practice of winning contests by questionable means without actually breaking the game's rules, but violating the spirit of the rules, or using ethically problematic methods to gain an advantage. • Fair Play - When competitors in sport contests understand and abide by the formal rules of play in addition to the spirit of cooperation needed to insure a fair contest, and when all participants have an equal chance to win a contest. This includes being honest, straightforward, and a firm and dignified manner even when others do not play fairly. • Balanced Competition - A cooperative contest between at least two persons engaged in a sport activity in which both parties have similar opportunities and resources necessary to achieve excellence and to score the most points or otherwise claim victory in the contest. Balanced competition requires participants to place the sport contest in proper perspective and pursue winning the contest in the proper way. • Character - In terms of sport participation and the notion that "sport builds character", character refers to the combination of compassion, fairness, sportsmanship and integrity during sports participation. Dispositions, values, and habits that determine the way a person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures, and successes and is typically seen in polite behaviors towards others such as helping an opponent up or shaking hands after a match. A person has good character when those dispositions and habits reflect core ethical values. Some refer to character as what a person does when no one is looking. • Right-Right Dilemma (Ethical Dilemma) - A situation (in sports) where two or more important values are in conflict and a difficult decision has to be made. In a right-right or ethical dilemma, both or all alternatives seem correct because the values in conflict are both important to the person making the decision. For example, when a coach chooses to play an injured player in an important game, the values of success (winning) and keeping the player safe (safety) are both important, so the coach is faced with a right-right dilemma.

Sportsmanship and Ethics in Middle and High School Sports

by Susan Mullane, Ph.D.

Key Concepts

• Sportsmanship
• Gamesmanship
• Fair Play
• Balanced Competition
• Character
• Spirit of the Rules
• Right-Right Dilemmas (ethical dilemmas)

Vocabulary

• Sportsmanship - (1) adherence to the principles and values in sport, including integrity, fair play, respect, and the value of competition, with the focus on winning the right way and what ought to be done; (2) conduct becoming to a person participating in sport, such as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning and losing.

• Gamesmanship - (1) a focus on winning at all costs with little or no regard to certain values considered basic to sports competition such as fairness, respect, and fair play; (2) the art or practice of winning contests by questionable means without actually breaking the game's rules, but violating the spirit of the rules, or using ethically problematic methods to gain an advantage.

• Fair Play - When competitors in sport contests understand and abide by the formal rules of play in addition to the spirit of cooperation needed to insure a fair contest, and when all participants have an equal chance to win a contest. This includes being honest, straightforward, and a firm and dignified manner even when others do not play fairly.

• Balanced Competition - A cooperative contest between at least two persons engaged in a sport activity in which both parties have similar opportunities and resources necessary to achieve excellence and to score the most points or otherwise claim victory in the contest. Balanced competition requires participants to place the sport contest in proper perspective and pursue winning the contest in the proper way.

• Character - In terms of sport participation and the notion that "sport builds character", character refers to the combination of compassion, fairness, sportsmanship and integrity during sports participation. Dispositions, values, and habits that determine the way a person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures, and successes and is typically seen in polite behaviors towards others such as helping an opponent up or shaking hands after a match. A person has good character when those dispositions and habits reflect core ethical values. Some refer to character as what a person does when no one is looking.

• Right-Right Dilemma (Ethical Dilemma) - A situation (in sports) where two or more important values are in conflict and a difficult decision has to be made. In a right-right or ethical dilemma, both or all alternatives seem correct because the values in conflict are both important to the person making the decision. For example, when a coach chooses to play an injured player in an important game, the values of success (winning) and keeping the player safe (safety) are both important, so the coach is faced with a right-right dilemma.